Cast crank for sure. Used in 307s too. Low compression heads, 1.72 intake valves. Look for 62-67 double hump heads for your rebuild.
350's never were "traditional" but no one is going to inspect your casting numbers on your SBC so no big deal.
Maybe it's me, but Beng87, my final advice is clean it up really good. I mean really good. like you're giving it as a gift. Dry it off nicely, blow out the oil passages. Now take pictures, absorb the details. Take notes on marks and numbers. Measurements can be accomplished at this stage. And you can get rid of the dirty. You and everything else around you, stay's clean and keeps things clean. When you've done all that, decide on the storage location because that will dictate how you'll wrap it. A crank like that I'd keep in a heated garage wrapped with a couple desiccant packets in plastic wrap. Some might choose a butchers wrap paper, then plastic wrap. And some will choose to oil ,wax or coat with a product just because of cold wet damp, fluctuating conditions like you did but I don't. I just don't like cleaning more than once. Between you and me, my advice should be, stop the madness, forget this rebuilding a SBC foolishness. If you must do something, the best thing is do nothing. It's apart, clean it up, freshen some parts and put it back together. Less of a cash out lay, and you'll discover the joys of rebuilding on the cheap and it actually working. Good luck.
87- take crank to reputable machine shop, have it cleaned properly, then magnafluxed, to check for cracks, worth the money, if the shop says it good, it may need to have main and rod journals ground undersize, .010" , or least polished. That crank is fine for street use. Have the block cleaned, have bores checked and it most likely will need to be bored, have them source quality pistons, they will final hone bores to fit. Have new cam bearings installed, worn cam bearings will cause a loss of oil pressure . Have rods reconditioned. I believe your heads have 70 cc chambers, they will be fine compression wise with today's gas with correct cam selection. Goggle how camshaft affects compression, that's called dynamic or effective compression. Different from static compression. Yup, getting into real money now, of course if you do the cheap, clean in gas, ridge ream rebuild, ( why the broken rings?) It will last 10k or so miles and start smoking and making noises, a real possibility. A good, reliable engine is not cheap! Do your homework!
Alot of great advice on here! I need to figure out my original oiling issue before I really move ahead on it. But I think if i clean it.. Really clean it. Measure everything, make sure its in spec...or real close. Really take my time and try to do it rite. Then it's worth the effort. Yea a machine shop is going to get it perfect... I dont want perfect, I want to be able to say i built it. So im gonna replace some parts. Bearings, pistons & rings, ect, ect, and do all the work myself.
I've got a little more information on the 327. So it sat (in the c-10) for 25 years not running that whole time. The engine was stuck before i bought it. The seller got it unstuck with some mystery oil or something. So when i got it running that was its first time in over two decades. I'm not sure, but maybe thats the cause of every oil ring being brittle & in pieces?..and the reason it wasn't getting oil to the lifter galleys?... Just a thought.
I agree about the concept of doing as much as you can on your own... removing and installing pistons on rods can be difficult without proper tools. The rotating assembly of crank, rods, pistons, should be rebalanced. If you get rebuilder pistons, top of the piston will be shorter and give you even less compression, unless the deck of the block is surfaced. Just some things to think about, if you have a couple shops capable of this work, ask around who's best. Usually you can get a pretty quick nod when the right name is mentioned.
Big 10-4 on that advice,learned that lesson the myself the hard way. I tried to pass that advice on to a friend on mine before he changed engines in his truck, but he didn't want to take the time. Six months later he was sitting along the road with an over heated engine because of a badly leaking freeze plug and yes , it was the one behind the engine mount.
I have been reading your thread and put a like on three or four of the posts . You can build ANYTHING you want there are no rules it's what you want has to fit with what the engine demands and affordability and availability . Those are the main beginnings of building ANYTHING . I am finally posting as I see you have reached a lane in the road concerning building your 327 and doing it at home . Yes research first the engine is your baby this winter and you need to learn how to speak it's language . 327's are quick to rev compared with a 350 I love 'em we put a mildly built one done with new pistons cam rebuilt and updated heads ( 2.02 valves ) with a Holley on Holley manifold and put it in the place of a 350 equipped Chevy musclecar and took it to Brotherhood Raceway at Terminal Island and did blow every competitor off the line and well down the track yes an M21 4 speed and 10 bolt posi rear end . Then we got Stoopid and put nitrous on it and was blowing oil within 10k miles . Play and pay we had fun ! Back to you now get some manuals a Motors and a Chilton's and a factory Chevrolet . You can buy engine rebuild paperbacks with someone's smiling face next to their creation on the cover but to understand and build as they show you also need to be tooled up for this . You don't need everything on you tube either . I started at age 12 and my grandfather gave me his Motors Manual he said , " You read this and read it and read it then give it back to me and don't dirty it . " Later on I would inherit that manual and is still the foremost of my reading for my builds . That's how important research is . Yes it's going to take you the winter and also that long to save to get a good start also . From what I gather of you so far you have a healthy sense of patience and that is going to be your number one tool all through this project . Your going to come alive as you do and finish one process at a time and always stay organized with markers and plenty of gallon size ziplocks baggies . My machinist is impressed by this and that's what counts . Never leave a bench in greasy disarray but do leave it looking like a busy clean organized bench . My bench is one of those old solid fire doors set on two old utility shelves . I will try to keep with you on this thread see- You can do this and it's cool and change your life maybe set a nice career on front of you . No lie I tell everyone Inever worked a day in my life . Okay let's get started with you researching and deciding what you want from the engine and it's application would also be nice to know . If it is an off-HAMB project please start a conversation with me I be real glad to help you
I think what people have a hard time grasping is the General Discussion forum is not near as "anal" as the Traditional forum.
I recommend a petroleum distillate base lubricant spray without acetone or cleansing additives . WD-40 has cleansing additives and this could soak into the castings like a sponge does and when your oil tries to absorb well absorption could be compromised and your rebuild only last 30-100k miles . I suggest Deep Creep by Sea-Foam and also Free All there aren't any cleansers in these . lot of guys here use Kroil and seem a sound product so I also recommend it . Also I recommend a gallon of MEK for cleaning and chemical gloves you can use those toothbrush looking steel and nylon brushes . Study my thread Meet Flo ! You will be doing the same thing and you will see how much you can do yourself and assemble yourself . My current build is the flathead engine in that thread but the "At Home Processes " are the same and already done and proven what does and Doesn't work well
Just something to be aware of with manuals like motors, these books are written for the trade, intended for folks who are or training to be a mechanic, they tend to gloss over or not even discuss steps or processes they expect you already know, they also tend to expect you will have the tools or fixtures available, so they don’t tell you how to work around things . This is primarily why I suggested getting a book on how to rebuild a sbc, they are written more with a hobbiest in mind Now some advice from my personal perspective, I’m tight, so tight I’ll pinch a nickel till the beaver farts! ( Canadianism). First research the parts you have, for a first rebuild, talking about you, not the engine, that engine may be on its 2-3-4 rebuild . If the parts are stock GM pieces I consider that the best starting point, just make sure they were all intended to work together, while the sbc engine family has the largest number of interchangeable parts they don’t all work the same together, this means it is just as possible to build a screamer as it is to build a total dog, probably easier to wind up with the dog than the other way round. For your first build, keep it simple , stay as close to oem as you can to limit the complications, the parts have already been engineered to work together so take advantage of that , see what was done to get the most out of the package you have. You will have to buy some parts, just don’t get tempted by the aftermarket “proformance parts”, these can quickly suck you down the rabbit hole, leading to much more machineing and complication, and more parts, and so on.
Also I would suggest that you finish filling out you location etc. Lots of HAMB guys will help if we are close to your local! Gary
my theory is that we've ran out of patience to want to deal with something that isn't done right, and you think, "well if it breaks after my repair, I'm just going to have to do it again, so i better do it the correct way the first time"
Do you have any specific sbc rebuild book in mind ? I have not really found one that covers a homestyle build just picture books bragging and selling hi-po parts by sponsors of the book . True specifications are only in factory manuals , Motors , Chilton's , Mitchell's and don't go by Van Pelts they got posted 6 cyl specs on V8 engines and that's only one reason why real manuals are reCommended by me . Now you build yours and I'll build my factory manual engine done homestyle and see who's turns out better and last longer . Now I do have one for Fords 302 but that's another ...
Well since you ask, these are the books I used to build my all stock 350 that I street raced through the 90s, that I still have and still running since that rebuild. Guy doesn’t seem to be smiling
I gotta ask why somebody said it costs $7000 to rebuild this guy's small block Chevy?? My last machine shop bill was $670. That was cleaning, inspecting, boring, honing, cam bearings and installing them, freeze plugs and installing them, took the pistons off the rods, reconditioned them, and put the new pistons on them. Crank didn't need anything, but it's $100 to turn a crank. Heads were disassembled, cleaned, surfaced, and reassembled with new valve seals and I believe he knurled the guides. I gave $225 for a new set of speed pro pistons, under $200 for cam and lifters, under $100 for a new timing set and melling oil pump, and about $100 for a rering kit from Northern auto parts. That's about $1300. Hmmmmm that doesn't add up.
I took a set of double hump heads to the same machine shop. Cleaned and inspected, magnafluxed, new guides, new intake and exhaust valves, new springs, locks, and retainers, all assembled, $500. I guess I love my machine shop guy
Some have learned the foolishness of throwing good money after bad , even when parts were cheap , it was short term thinking .
It's ridiculous to make a blanket statement such as this, in cases where there is too much wear that would be correct, however it certainly is not true in all cases! When done on engines with less severe wear they will last a long time, not short term thinking!
No he isn't smiling is that the Snap-On bill tucked in his shirt pocket ! Lol Thank you for the info the first book you show is revised now I bet your original printed book is more down to earth than the revised showing Hi-Po parts on the cover and sub-titled for a Hi-Po build . On the revised book I do wonder how much the part manufacturer paid to get a photo of their manifold on the cover . Ah yes the Blueprint book two friends did like this one still has the small block in his Nomad and that build was done over 35 years ago probably about 40,000 miles on it now . Matter of fact I'd like to add that one to my study shelf and actually read it thru Thank You Wanderlust
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